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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23293696">no more secrets {on hiatus}</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiiller_koii/pseuds/kiiller_koii'>kiiller_koii</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Steven Universe (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, Little bit of Fluff, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Tiny Bit of Hurt/Comfort, almost all the ships listed r one sided ok, i have this whole fic planned lmao consider these tags vague spoilers, one sided amedot, pearl does not know what a crush is, pearlmethyst - Freeform, probably at least, wingman</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 11:29:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,223</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23293696</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiiller_koii/pseuds/kiiller_koii</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When Amethyst wants to get back into the dating game, she asks Pearl to be her wingman. When Pearl's feelings grow confused, she's left to pick up her own mess.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Amethyst &amp; Jenny (Steven Universe), Amethyst &amp; Peridot (Steven Universe), Amethyst &amp; Sadie Miller, Amethyst/Pearl (Steven Universe), Sadie Miller/Shep</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>23</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. to be a 'wingman'</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>the events of this fic take place after Change Your Mind, and before SU Future.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Warm water splashed over pale hands as Pearl scrubbed the porcelain plate within her grasp, breakfast having taken a toll on the kitchen. It wasn’t as if Steven needed her to clean up after him anymore, but Pearl found it to be something that brought her a subtle comfort. Now that they didn’t have the looming threat of the Diamonds over them, Pearl found it a bit unnerving to not have somewhat of a purpose. So, she stayed within her norms of tidying and helping. A gentle hum escaped her throat, drowned out by the sound of the faucet and the obnoxious beeping of Amethyst’s video game upstairs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amethyst’s video game.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amethyst.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pearl’s eyes drew upwards and her lips parted ever so slightly, her gaze falling onto the purple presence sitting comfortably in the loft. It was only the two in the house at the moment, with Steven and Garnet out doing who-knows-what together. Their relationship had come so far and evolved so much over the course of these years. They used to be distant teammates, two polar opposites at opposite ends of a spectrum, rivals parted from one another due to their differences. But so much had changed, and now they were as close as ever. They were… friends. Although Pearl’s thoughts drifted to some other term. It was unrecognizable, and not even she knew what she was thinking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When she realized she was staring, Pearl pressed her eyelids together and shook her head, snapping out of her gentle trance. She looked back down at the sink, a sigh escaping her when she saw the water had splashed over onto the counter. She shut the tap off and turned around to find the dish towel she’d placed around her somewhere. After a moment, her eyes landed on it and she grabbed a hold of it, then doing a 180 back around to the sink. But when she looked up, a double-take was necessary upon Amethyst’s arrival at the kitchen stool. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A-Ah? Hello, Amethyst.” She offered a gentle smile as she wiped off the water, ignoring the hitch of breath Amethyst’s presence had given her. “What are you doing? I thought you were playing another of Steven’s games.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I got bored,” She answered simply, twirling a piece of lavender hair over a plump finger. “What’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>doing?” She returned, propping her head up with her hands.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pearl eyed Amethyst with a lighthearted roll of pale blue eyes, placing the towel back on its rack. “I’m tidying up. Isn’t it obvious?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But that’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>all </span>
  </em>
  <span>you ever do!” Amethyst huffed, making a pattern on the counter with her finger. “Doesn’t all that get boring?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pearl now met Amethyst’s eye, leaning forward to come level to her. “No, not particularly. I’m perfectly happy doing this.” She provided Amethyst with the simple truth, she was, indeed, fine. She didn’t grow bored, even doing such rudimentary things.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The evident disappointment she saw on Amethyst’s face at her answer made Pearl frown, but she pursed her lips and didn’t elaborate. Luckily, the gem in question spoke up. “Aw, whatever P.” She shrugged and pushed back, placing her hands behind her head. “Y’know, now that the universe is saved or whatever, I was thinkin’ about getting into dating.” She mused, staring upwards.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pearl wasn’t really listening, she’d found that her eyes had drifted to Amethyst’s gem. Not.. in an odd way, she just found it eye-catching. She found much about Amethyst eye-catching. When the purple gem mentioned dating, Pearl only half heard her, and therefore her answer came in the wrong context.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dating? Oh, I can get you a calendar if you’d like.” She commented, shrugging gently. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amethyst laughed at this, a small pit of fluster igniting in Pearl when she did so. She placed her hand on her forehead and appeared as if she almost fell out of her seat. “Ohoh, man, P, no- I mean like, </span>
  <em>
    <span>dating </span>
  </em>
  <span>dating! Like… being in love and stuff!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now, this gave Pearl a bit of a surprise. Amethyst wanted to… ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>be in love… and stuff</span>
  </em>
  <span>’? Pearl stammered, her face lighting a gentle blue in her embarrassment. “O-Oh..! That kind.. of dating. Y-Yes, of course, I suppose I misunderstood.” She wrung her hands together, glancing momentarily away from Amethyst.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amethyst chuckled lightly, running a hand through her thick hair. “Eheh. You’re cute, Pierogi.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pearl flushed darker, feeling her stomach twist as if she was going to throw up. The comment wasn’t necessarily </span>
  <em>
    <span>rare</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but it always threw Pearl for a loop. It provided her with an odd, fluttery feeling in the pit of her stomach, that of which she didn’t really understand. It knocked the air out of her, and it took Pearl a moment to reply.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah… thank you. Well… What do you plan to do, then?” She changed the subject quickly, shooting a quizzical look at the shorter gem.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amethyst thought for a moment. “Hmm… Er, well, I was just gunna go out on the town and check out the market, y’know?” She grinned at Pearl with a shrug. Pearl failed to understand the relation of the supermarket with Amethyst’s dating pool, but she supposed that it was likely some human slang, and didn’t question it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Even after all these years, Pearl still didn’t know many of these human terms. This was very obvious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This is why when Amethyst suggested for Pearl to be her ‘wingman’, she accepted without much hesitation. If it meant spending time with Amethyst, she was fine with it. Only later, after the pair had stepped out of the house, did Pearl question the definition of her new role.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Needless to say, she was not quite as excited.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. interrupted</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Pearl finds their outing together pleasant, though the feeling proves to be brief.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The gentle sounds of the sand beneath her shoes and the ocean lapping at the shore did little to ease the odd feeling that had manifested itself within the pit of Pearl’s stomach. She was unsure of why, she simply had a gut instinct of something </span>
  <em>
    <span>wrong </span>
  </em>
  <span>with this outing of theirs. Something would spoil this time, she was sure of it. Perhaps a gem monster. A new foe. Another issue with Amethyst’s gem. Anything could happen.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Pearl took a breath to calm her thoughts, clearing her throat before looking to her side, where Amethyst walked next to her. The shorter whistled an upbeat tune to fill the quiet between them, presumably in her thoughts over where to go; it wasn’t as if Pearl was the most familiarized with the establishments in Beach City. Safe to say she didn’t get out much. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah, Amethyst,” She eventually spoke up, linking her own fingers together with a prefacing click of her tongue. “I believe I put you under the wrong impression when I agreed to this.” She chuckled as a filler, and Amethyst gave her a curious look.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Whaddup, P?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh- I just- what exactly does a… </span>
  <em>
    <span>wingman</span>
  </em>
  <span>… do?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The face she pulled out of Amethyst with this question was a mixture of exasperation, surprise, and amusement. So, it was a general response from her to practically anything Pearl did. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Pff- oh, yeah, I forgot you’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Amethyst laughed, a hand placed onto her stomach. Pearl, in turn, grimaced at the comment, at which Amethyst stopped. “Er- I just meant, man, you really know nothing about humans n’ stuff! Which is kinda crazy, ‘cause we’ve been here so long already. But don’t worry, I’ll get you out here more, heh.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Pearl </span>
  <em>
    <span>hmph</span>
  </em>
  <span>’d, brushing the comment off.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Annnnyway, being a wingman is like, helping your pal get a date! So you’re gonna help me out.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The pace that Pearl had been keeping faltered, slowing slightly behind Amethyst for a few moments. Oh, what had she gotten herself into? She hadn’t an issue in assisting Amethyst with whatever she desired. That was her original purpose, although to a different gem, after all. And she also just generally wanted to see her </span>
  <em>
    <span>friend </span>
  </em>
  <span>happy. But this task was to help Amethyst get a </span>
  <em>
    <span>date</span>
  </em>
  <span>, a </span>
  <em>
    <span>partner</span>
  </em>
  <span>, someone to </span>
  <em>
    <span>love</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and there lay the problem in Pearl’s eyes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>What frustrated Pearl even more was that she didn’t know what the matter itself was.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And suddenly on the rest of that walk, she found her arms and legs just a bit heavier and her spirits a little lower. She didn’t quite understand this feeling or where it had come from, but it had sucked the energy straight out of her light-formed body. Amethyst didn’t seem to notice- or if she did, she was just a superb actress- and Pearl thought it better to keep it that way. The questioning never did her good. A lithe hand curled around its opposite arm, a hiss of air flowing from between the pale gem’s teeth. Something about what she was feeling was both memory, and something totally new. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>It’s alright, </span>
  </em>
  <span>Pearl thought, </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’ll shake it off</span>
  </em>
  <span>. She always did. She could always brush her neverending emotions for the sake of others. It was for Amethyst, this time. Who was Pearl to spoil the shorter gem’s enjoyment of life in this way? She’d feel horrible to do so. Her feelings came second, she’d concluded that long ago.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Sooner or later came the sudden looming presence of humans bustling around her, and the yells of excitement snapped her out of it. She found herself on the wooden boardwalk of Funland, somewhere she hadn’t been in quite some time. Usually, it was Steven that brought her here. Although she supposed that Steven and Amethyst’s mannerisms were quite comparable… childish, immature, the whole nine yards.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“...I fail to see how an amusement park could be in any case romantic.” She put out, finding herself an easy skeptic at the plan.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Amethyst rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out. “Oh, lighten up, P,” She scoffed, waving a hand. “This place is like, human central! We’re bound to find plenty’a cool folks around here! See, my ideas aren’t all that bad!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I see…” Pearl’s torso reeled forward ever so slightly, closing in on herself. She’d been so much better at social interaction with her teammates and humans alike lately, she didn’t know why she suddenly felt so shy. Perhaps there was an issue with her gem.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Before she could overthink any farther, thick hands on her shoulders snapped her out of it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Loosen up, Pearl! Come on! No one’s gonna want to come around us if you’re bein’ all weird!” Her companion exclaimed as she jumped from one side of Pearl to the other, in the process launching herself off of Pearl’s back.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Finding this in bad taste, Pearl frowned and groaned lightly with a glare falling towards Amethyst. Amethyst just laughed in response, which gave Pearl a simultaneously frustrated and fluttery feeling in her gut. It made her shudder. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was strange. In all her time making residence in Beach City, she’d hardly partaken in most of this park’s activities. Amethyst informed her that it would be ideal for the purple gem to ‘act casual’ and ‘let them come to her’ as a form of attracting people, which Pearl found a strange approach, but Amethyst was the boss. In this, Amethyst had suggested they simply hang around the park and act natural. That obviously meant participating in what Funland had to offer. Which brought Pearl to now.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Er… so I just… throw these, at the balloons?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She looked down at the sharp darts that rested in her pristine hand, the multicolored feathers tacked on the back tickling her skin.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah! Chuck ‘em as hard as you can!” Came Amethyst’s eager reply. Pearl had found that the other gem was always excited to see Pearl </span>
  <em>
    <span>in action</span>
  </em>
  <span>, if you will, but when they weren’t battling life-and-death this tended to come in simpler forms.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Like… darts, apparently. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her left eye creaked shut and she raised the first upwards, her aim precise and perfect- or at least, she believed so. The dart sticking into the wood just beside one of the lime green-hued balloons was a bit of a setback, but the cheers of support that came from beside her fueled her next shot. The next dart stuck exactly into a violet one with a satisfying pop, and the succession of rubber pieces scattering onto the ground.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Woah-ho! Yeah, P! You got one!” Amethyst egged her on with a pump of her fist, her eyes shining. The success seemed so trivial, and yet the celebration made Pearl feel like she’d just won another Gem War.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah… yeah, I did!” She laughed in return, determination showing in her eyes as the next dart was aimed. Much like the last, it was followed with a loud pop and an overdramatic </span>
  <em>
    <span>whoop </span>
  </em>
  <span>from Amethyst.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Two more were popped in quick succession, and Pearl was awkwardly rewarded by Mr. Smiley with a stuffed white cat. She took it with a light chuckle and the pair moved away from the game booth.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> “What’re you gonna do with your prize, P?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Pearl contemplated placing the plushie into her gem, finding no real use in it, although she appreciated the gesture. She changed her mind soon enough, taking a look at it before wordlessly handing it to Amethyst.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Aww, for me?” Amethyst laughed, mock-sweetly as she accepted the stuffed animal and tucked it beneath her arm. “Thanks, Pearl!” Amethyst beamed and a faint blue blush shone onto Pearl’s cheeks, but she was cut off before she could respond.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ha! Get a room, you two!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Pearl turned to see none other than Jenny Pizza strolling down the boardwalk with a carefree grin and a skip in her step, hands grasping the sides of her jacket as she sent a wink their way. (Pearl made a mental note of this stance, perhaps if she stood like that with her own new jacket she’d be a bit more impressive…)</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey! Jenny!” Amethyst waved, at which Pearl could tell this was what she’d been waiting for this whole time. Pearl simply smiled as the girl sauntered toward them, or more accurately towards Amethyst. Pearl had always gotten along better with Kiki, anyways.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s up, Ame? Whatcha doin’ here?” She paused, glancing rather obviously towards Pearl. “You two on a date?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Pearl felt a sticking pain in her chest as she recoiled from the statement. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Nope,” Amethyst replied with little pause, popping the ‘p’. “But I </span>
  <em>
    <span>am </span>
  </em>
  <span>in the market!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, I see, I see- good to know!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The thin gem took a tentative step back, watching as the pair hit it off near immediately. And that was all she could do: watch. Her hands came together in front of her naval, fingers drifting over her own knuckles gently. The words the two in front of her were passing back and forth grew fuzzy, as she tuned out from the conversation. It wasn’t like they were going to say anything towards her, anyway.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And so Pearl stood.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Watching.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Staring.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her eyes lingered on one girl more than the other.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i hope you're enjoying the story so far! and please, feel free to give criticism where necessary!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. alone in her head</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>After a frustrating encounter, Pearl decides that she needs time to think.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“How’s saving the world going?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, we kinda already saved it now, but no biggie.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pearl listened to them laugh. It was nice to hear Amethyst laugh. In theory, Pearl should be happy to see that spark of reconnection between the two, but somehow it wasn’t. Proud, maybe. But happy, far from it. So she interjected.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> helped,” She put in, flaunting a very fake grin at the two, who turned their heads to look at her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah!” Jenny laughed in response. It was clear that the labeled ‘cool kid’  hadn’t a real response to this, so opted to turn back to Amethyst.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Er- yup, you sure did…!” Amethyst’s reply came more hesitant and was complemented by a rather dirty look towards Pearl- one that told her exactly what she suspected Amethyst to be thinking. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Stop that, Pearl. You’re supposed to be helping me. This is about me.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t gentle, but Amethyst never was. This entire outing was about her, not Pearl. But still, she felt the need to divert the Pizza’s attention from Amethyst. It was a strange urge, almost something primal that Pearl </span>
  <em>
    <span>couldn’t stop</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Well, perhaps she could- but despite the guilt in her chest she didn’t want to. Her hand curled and uncurled by her side, teal eyes glancing away as the other two continued their chipper conversating. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So what brings you ‘round Funland? I haven’t seen you on the boardwalk in a while.” Jenny’s eyes trained onto Amethyst. It made Pearl click her tongue quietly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, nothin’. Haven’t been too busy lately, y’know? I-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pearl was quick to butt in. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“She brought </span>
  <em>
    <span>me </span>
  </em>
  <span>here,” Pearl pointed out, stepping forward to put a hand onto Amethyst’s shoulder. “We came here together. Oh! And, </span>
  <em>
    <span>actually, </span>
  </em>
  <span>we are quite busy. We’re making preparations for our school, and all.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amethyst side-eyed her in the evident rising frustration that Pearl could see as clear as day on her face. It gave Pearl a twinge of pain within her to see the sheer annoyance at her, but the tall gem still didn’t stop herself from any of this.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Eh… yeah, guess so, b-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Man, guess I kinda crashed this thing then? You two probably needed some time out from all that planning stuff.” Jenny crossed her arms and hung her head slightly with a light sigh. “Well, I should leave you to it, then!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pearl mimicked her stance, clicking her tongue as she feigned disappointment. “Oh, dear… maybe so, I suppose…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wh-?! Pearl-!” Amethyst whipped her head towards the gem in question before back at Jenny. “No, you don’t have to!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nah, nah. Seems like I’ve overstayed my welcome, anyway.” She smiled cooly although a glance was sent in Pearl’s direction, before giving a brisk goodbye and sauntering away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After waving Jenny off, Amethyst turned on her heel towards Pearl. The distinct fire that flared up into Amethyst’s eyes was so bright that Pearl almost felt heat wafting off of her. Pearl admired Amethyst’s passion, but it was quite a different story when aimed at her. It was intimidating, scary. Even from someone of Amethyst’s stature…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why’d you do that, huh?!” She spat, skipping straight to pure </span>
  <em>
    <span>anger</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Pearl was sure that her exclamation alone had turned heads of everyone in the park.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This made Amethyst even angrier. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The truth did that, sometimes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We were totally hitting it off! I told you your job was to help me! What part of that did you not understand?!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I told you, Amethyst, I don’t know. Now,</span>
  <em>
    <span> please calm down</span>
  </em>
  <span>, you’re drawing a crowd.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amethyst’s fists squeezed and then released and her hands were thrown into the air, a groan breaking from her throat. “Ugh, stop being like that! God, I-- you know what? I can do this by myself.” She snarled, before turning away from Pearl and beginning her stomp in the other direction. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah- but- Amethyst, wait!” Pearl’s hand reached out, but she wasn’t even graced with Amethyst looking back at her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>* * *</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And so the lone Pearl made the quick tread back home with no company this time. This was one of the few times that she didn’t appreciate the silence. It was uncomfortable, being alone with her thoughts. Pearl and Amethyst never fought anymore, they’d come so far as teammates, as friends. But that meant that when they did, it was that much more difficult to deal with. And Pearl didn’t deal well with stress in the first place.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The familiar wooden door of the beach house creaked open with a horrid noise from its hinges, and Pearl wondered if perhaps she should oil it. But not right now; right now wasn’t a good time. With Garnet and Steven still gone, she avoided all suspicion as she moved through the house and made a b-line for the temple. With a simple glow of her gem, she was back in her room, and she rose onto one of the soft spraying fountains in the center of the room. When it came down to it, Pearl always found that organizing was something that cooled her down. The shelves of weapons and paraphernalia rose upwards and she got to it, attempting to focus herself.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And now all she could do was think. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She found herself trapped in her own head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She still wasn’t sure what had come over her today. The urge to shoo Jenny away was downright unbearable to some degree, and it was a severely odd feeling. It had felt good in the moment. It felt necessary. And when she was gone, for a moment, Pearl felt proud of herself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pearl was smart. She was designed that way and she was glad about it. But even as someone with her intelligence, she couldn’t get herself to decipher the reason why. Perhaps she’d wanted to protect Amethyst. But there were no dangers. Jenny wasn’t a danger, was she? No… it didn’t seem so. Not to Amethyst, anyway. Whatever inane feelings had possessed her did her no good in the long run. Even if it had felt like a positive what it happened. The sigh that escaped her chest rattled her lanky body as her head fell, long nose pointing towards the floor. Spindly fingers coiled around one another as she stared at the running water below her. As she stared, something splashed into it, which she noticed before she even felt the presence of the liquid rolling off of her nose.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ah. Well, now she just felt guilty. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If she felt so fondly towards Amethyst, why had she so blatantly ruined this for her?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If she found Amethyst so endearing, interesting, eye-catching, wonderful, beautiful </span>
  <em>
    <span>(this train of thought was quite unnerving, and so she cut off)</span>
  </em>
  <span>- why wouldn’t she want the best for her?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She should, shouldn’t she?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She did.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She concluded that she did, in fact, wish her the best. She concluded that she wanted Amethyst to be happy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With this, she rubbed the eyes with the knuckles of her hands, rolled up her sleeves, and set back out. Whether she liked it or not.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>ah, how i love drama. i had to get this chapter out quick- expect updates to slow a bit. both with the beginning of online classes coming, as well as yet another pearlmethyst fic i have in the works! so look out for that, and thank you for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. sabotage</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Amethyst gives Pearl an idea, and Pearl wishes she didn't want to act on it.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Amethyst was exactly where Pearl had expected her to be: Funland’s funnel cake stand. Pearl hadn’t been gone too long, but she knew that Amethyst could gorge herself for hours on end (with no consequence, lucky for her). And there she was, obviously haggling with a disgruntled PeeDee who was running the stand. Pearl assumed that the Fryman family was expanding their horizons yet again. Her hand found the cuff of one of her sleeves and she pulled at it, fidgeting gently with the turquoise fabric. She sincerely hoped Amethyst wasn’t still angry.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pearl took a breath before treading lightly towards the other gem, who paused with a mouthful of cake to look at her. She looked a bit surprised at Pearl’s coming, and then her face twisted into one of displeasure. It made Pearl cringe ever so slightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mmf- back already, huh?” Amethyst cooed with a hint of venom through her stuffed maw. Pearl paused before replying- she knew Amethyst to hold grudges a while, but the extent she sometimes went to could be startling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Er- y-yes.” She nodded gently, scratching her cheek. “I’m sorry, Amethyst. I was out of line.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amethyst placed the half-eaten cake onto the stand (much to PeeDee’s dismay), crossing her arms just below her gem. “Pfft, yeah, you were.” She chuckled, rolling her eyes. “That was dumb, that whole stunt back there. I coulda thought you were trying to sabotage me or something back there.” Amethyst chuckled, which brought a gentle smile to Pearl. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After the initial fluttering feeling of Amethyst’s mood change, Pearl focused her train of thought on the word she used. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Sabotage</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Initially, Pearl wouldn’t have used that word to describe her actions. She’d use anything but, in fact. It sounded… too crude for her tastes. But now that she was thinking about it, it wasn’t too far off. And the more that she thought of it, the more correct it sounded. She felt guilty, sure, but… that boiling need in the pit of her stomach from earlier still lingered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The need to… sabotage?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pearl cleared her throat before returning from her thoughts. “Sabotage…? Oh- w-well, I’d never do something like </span>
  <em>
    <span>that!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” She insisted, glancing upwards and away. She’d never been wonderful at lying, but Amethyst seemed to buy it, which was enough for Pearl. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright, alright, I believe you, P.” Amethyst smiled, her previous lingering frustration dissolving.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pearl pursed her lips for a moment. “Well… a-anyway, I’m ready to help, again.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amethyst blinked, and then beamed. “Aww, sweet!” Pearl had no time to react before she was brought into a tight hug, Amethyst’s signature move. Pearl was lifted slightly off of the ground and the pair laughed before the shorter gem placed her back down. That was Pearl’s favorite thing. She loved when she did that. The other continued, “Well, then! Where we off to next, wingman?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pearl hesitated. “...Are you sure about this…? I mean, with a human?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yup. Might as well test the waters, yanno?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I suppose… but I do worry about this, Amethyst.” Her voice shook a bit with nervous inflection. “You know what happened with R-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amethyst waved her hand, sticking her tongue out, “Yeah, yeah, no more Rose talk, ‘kay? I’m trying to have a good time today.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right…” Pearl nodded, and then sighed. “I suppose you could try Jenny again. She should be working right about now.” If she sounded disheartened, that would be an understatement.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With her suggestion, the pair made their way to Fish Stew Pizza. Amethyst paused before the door, at which Pearl quizzically glanced at her. She tucked a loose strand of peach hair behind her ear, watching as Amethyst did her best to avoid the establishment’s windows. She found herself somehow even more stressed when Amethyst explained the plan- Pearl would enter first, and talk Amethyst up while they were apart. Amethyst would take it from there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She adjusted the lapels of her jacket before pushing open the glass door of the small building. A tiny silver bell jingled above her head and she was hit with the overwhelmingly strong scent of dough and tomato sauce, at which she shuddered. Pearl pulled out the seat of the nearest table to her and daintily sat down with an exhale. The expected Pizza twin was on her near immediately, mere seconds after she opened the menu. Although, one look around the empty restaurant told Pearl that there was really nowhere else for Jenny to go.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> “Hey, Pearl!” She greeted, leaning nonchalantly on the table. Pearl’s nose scrunched a bit at the lack of formality. “Don’t see you around here much. Whatcha gettin’?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The alabaster gem chuckled nervously as her eyes scanned the menu. Honestly, she had no clue what half of these items were, much less did she went to consume them. “Just, um… a garden salad, thank you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jenny smiled and jotted it down although Pearl would’ve thought she could remember the order just fine, before walking to the back. She came back out soon after, presumably after giving the order to her father, and then waited back at the front counter with her phone in front of her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amethyst wasn’t far behind on her entrance after this. She sauntered up to the counter and Pearl observed as they idly chatted. They seemed to click so well. It gave her a nauseous feeling.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Soon enough, after giving Jenny her order at the counter, Amethyst started towards her own table. She stopped in front of Pearl’s, giving her a gentle smirk. “Right-o, P. Now’s your turn. Go hype me up!” She slapped Pearl on the back before jumping away to her table, leaving Pearl to recoil in surprise and discomfort. As if on cue, Jenny called out Pearl’s order.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pearl stood and tentatively stepped towards the counter. The salad was presented to her, and she awkwardly took it. She held the plate in her hands, glancing down at it with unpleasant disgust, before drawing her gaze back to Jenny.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So… Amethyst is pretty… </span>
  <em>
    <span>cool</span>
  </em>
  <span>, right?” She offered a slight smile, unsure. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh! Yeah, totally!” Jenny smiled as she leaned forward on the counter, training her eyes towards Amethyst’s table. “You think she’d wanna go on a date sometime?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pearl tensed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, stars. That was fast.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pearl’s leg bounced and she found herself feeling the same way as she had when she’d waved Jenny off earlier, a strange protective feeling over Amethyst washing over her. She bit her lip, feeling as if she was going to explode as she attempted to come up with a reply that would benefit Amethyst.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She went in a different direction. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah… I’m not sure. She seems quite infatuated at the moment with…” She paused, her mind going empty. She couldn’t back out now. She frantically glanced out the window, and just happened to notice a certain someone passing by.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sadie!” She finished, complementing it with a grin and a nervous laugh. “They might be </span>
  <em>
    <span>together</span>
  </em>
  <span>, if you will.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Jenny appeared crestfallen, and Pearl almost felt bad. Almost. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dang, that blows. Guess she was just leading me on, huh? Classic Amethyst!” She chuckled disappointedly, turning in the other direction to take the large pizza that was presented to her. She called Amethyst’s order, sounding significantly less enthusiastic. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Amethyst trotted up to the counter, joining the others. She grabbed the pizza happily, licking her lips (which, did admittedly catch Pearl’s eye). She then paused, a lopsided grin telling Pearl that she had an idea of sorts.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Jenny, you wanna like… come eat this with me?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pearl held her breath, seeing Jenny’s eyes light up slightly. They dimmed when the pizza girl glanced at Pearl, then shook her head. “Eh... maybe I shouldn’t. Got all these uh, orders to take and stuff.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Of course, there was no one else in the establishment. This seemed simply to imply to Amethyst that Jenny wasn’t interested. It was a mission accomplished for Pearl, but she couldn’t help but to feel guilty.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Naturally, Amethyst was fairly bummed when they exited the pizza shop. Her posture was a bit more slumped, and she was slightly slower in pace. Pearl pursed her lips. This was her fault… but also somehow… what she had wanted. She made the futile attempt to push those feelings out of the front of her mind with a deep breath. Once they were away from the building, Amethyst spoke up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Man, sounds like she’s really not into me, huh?” She placed a hand on her hip and shifted her weight onto one side, head hanging slightly. She then smiled, small and casual, looking back up at Pearl. “Well, thanks for trying to help me, at least!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pearl’s body stiffened and she held her forearm with her opposite hand, blowing air nervously through her mouth. Help was a… strong word.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Aha… you’re welcome, Amethyst.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>hate to give a shameless self promo, but i'd love it if you checked out my other ongoing pearlmethyst fic i'm working on, warmth in the cold! https://archiveofourown.org/works/23384416/chapters/56035129</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Author’s Note (Not a Chapter)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>just a lil a/n :)</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hello everybody!</p>
<p>I just wanted to quickly post on both my ongoings to say that while I’m very sorry about the slow updates, there are, in fact, updates coming! Life has been hectic, and I’ve found myself to be a bit burnt out recently. But don’t worry—I have the entirety of my stories completely planned and all I need to do is finish writing the chapters up.</p>
<p>Once again, I’m so sorry for the delay! But if you’re still here, thank you so much for your support :).</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>and there we have it! the beginning of my very first multi-chapter fic on this site :) i promise it'll pick up soon, and i do hope you'll stick around to see it!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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